Robotics Open House Spurs Interest in Robotics Technology & Education

National
Robotics Week in Florida was celebrated with much gusto. FLATE took a leading
role in hosting a

region-wide open house, inviting educators, industry leaders,
students and anyone interested in robotics, to attend and celebrate national
robotics week in Tampa. As part of this effort, FLATE partnered with local
robotics clubs to showcase applications of robotics technology in industrial
and everyday settings. “The educational component of robotics represents true
project based learning, and is tied to so many other aspects of everyday life”
said Amanda Peterson. She and her son, Graham Peterson were attending the open
house as part of Middleton High School robotics team who were there to showcase
their FRC robots to visitors.

During
the open house, visitors got a close-up look at robots, how they are being used
in industrial and

everyday settings, and got a first-hand look at various
software used by VEX, FLL, FTC and FRC team

members to operate and program
robots while competing at regional and national robotics competitions. The
Vibots—an “All Girls” robotics team from McLane Middle School was phenomenal.
“The neatest thing about robotics is that it is not gender specific” said Rachel
Haselwood and Payton Libe from McLane Middle School. Their VEX robot, whom they
had named Lucious, qualified for the national world VEX competition after
winning the state championships. "With 10,000 elementary, middle and high school VEX teams worldwide and only 750 qualifying for world championships, McLane's robotics team did the impossible and won the Education (STEM) Award for a second time" at the 2014 VEX World Championship, said Mike Wilson, robotics teacher at McLane Middle School. According to Wilson, the Educate Award is given to a team that has successfully integrated VEX robotics into STEM curriculum and demonstrated to the judges that VEX is not just an extra-curricular activity, but a valuable tool used to teach across many subjects in the classroom.Graham Peterson and Daniel Brown also showcased the robot
they built for the regional FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC). Graham and Daniel
agree “technical skills are central to any engineering field.” They hoped their
demo inspired students attending the robotics open house to develop technical
as well as leadership skills, and motivate them to join local/regional robotics
team.

Visitors also got an
opportunity to work and program an industrial robotic arm similar to what is
used in

modern, high-tech manufacturing facilities. Walking through different
stations, visitors worked through mini LEGO®
Mindstorms®NXT challenges
involving motors and ultrasonic sensors to calculate speed and distance. “The
way engineering aligns with science and mathematics is very interesting and
intricate” said Darrian Bagley, a student at Strawberry
Crest High School in Tampa who was doing a demo on how to use motors, sensors, computing
and programming to operate a robot. Bagley hopes students can “enjoy finding
new ways to solve problems, or explore a variety of solutions that they can create
to solve a problem.”

Indeed
the robotics open house served as a platform for educators, students and their
parents to recognize

the significance of robotics, and its role in spearheading
interest in STEM education. “Robotics and programming are not scary” pointed
Janelle Baldwin who is a high school robotics mentor and coach at Middleton
High School in Tampa. Jeanelle hopes anyone can look at robots and see their
future in it. “We’re an ‘all girls’ team who are having a lot of fun while
mastering knowledge about robots, STEM and attempting engineering feats that
have not been seen before” Jeanelle said. To add more fun to STEM, visitors
also got a tutorial on designing and making their own buttons.

“National
robotics week is truly a celebration of American Innovation and an attempt to
spur technology

education” said Dr. Marilyn Barger, executive director of
FLATE. The effort also serves as a gateway to showcase state-of-the-art high-tech equipment at FLATE's engineering technology laboratory at HCC, and create awareness about the two year A.S. degree in engineering technology currently offered at Hillsborough Community College and 13 other state and community colleges across Florida. Through this effort “we hope to educate the public and inspire students
of all ages to pursue careers in robotics and STEM” Barger said. For more
information on National Robotics Day, or to enroll in one of FLATE’s all NEW
and improved robotics camps visit www.madeinflorida.org
and www.fl-ate.org. You can also read our
blog article about upcoming camp dates, location and sign up instructions, or contact
Dr. Marilyn Barger at barger@fl-ate.org, and Desh Bagley,
outreach manager for FLATE at bagley@fl-ate.org.Video coverage of the Robotics Week Open House hosted by FLATE at the HCC campus in Brandon, FL. The event was attended by students, parents and the general public. FLATE is the Florida Advanced Technological Education Center. It is a National Science Foundation Regional Center for Advanced Technological Education.

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Disclaimer

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation, under the following grant DUE# 1204751. "Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation."